I am currently in my senior year of college, which is hard to believe because it feels like I was a senior in high school yesterday. I attended Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin, New Jersey, which is within walking distance from my house. Southern is a great school and I am very fortunate that I had a great high school experience.
In my graduating class alone there were 750 students. I liked the size of my high school class because it made it less “cliquey.” Since everyone did not know everyone, I believe that this is why rumors and bullying were not a huge problem at my school. I have heard from my friends at college that in their small high schools, everyone knew everything about you and nothing ever stayed a secret. In my high school, people didn’t concern themselves too much with what other people were doing. I believe that this is one of the reasons that I adjusted easily to URI; I was not ever uncomfortable in situations where I did not know who everyone was.
Also, at Southern I played tennis and lacrosse for two years each. Competing on teams is not something that I am not particularly good at, nor do I enjoy it very much. I joined both teams because it was just another way to spend time with my friends. My friends and I used to drive our coach crazy because we would goof off way too much during practices. When I look back on practices and games, what I remember most vividly is the way we used to laugh together about nothing in particular. It makes high school seem like it took place a lifetime ago, and makes me miss how simple life was back then. I don’t remember a time in the past 3 years of college where I would be having fun with my friends without someone saying something like, “I should really be studying” or “I am so stressed out about my class.” In high school, we would have so much fun being silly and spending time together without stressing ourselves out about trivial things.
My senior year of high school, I had the privilege of having Mr. Murphy for English class. Mr. Murphy was known as a very strict, demanding teacher, but also as one of the best at Southern. Even though he gave out more work than other teachers, students loved having him, which is usually not the case in high school English classes. He demanded respect from his students, but was very open to their input in his class. He would ask for input on which assignments we gained the most from and which books we liked the best. Mr. Murphy took his class very seriously and expected all of our assignments and reading to be done on time. I can honestly say that this was the only class in high school that came close to preparing me for college. I think about him when I am struggling in classes at college because I know that he would tell me to keep going and not doubt myself.
All in all, high school was a great experience for me. It seems like yesterday I was sending out my application to URI. It’s crazy to me that in the next month I’m going to send out another application to URI – for graduate school! Spending time with my friends and the great teachers I had is what made my time at Southern most memorable. Reflecting on my high school experience is making me want to take advantage and really appreciate my last year at URI.
In my graduating class alone there were 750 students. I liked the size of my high school class because it made it less “cliquey.” Since everyone did not know everyone, I believe that this is why rumors and bullying were not a huge problem at my school. I have heard from my friends at college that in their small high schools, everyone knew everything about you and nothing ever stayed a secret. In my high school, people didn’t concern themselves too much with what other people were doing. I believe that this is one of the reasons that I adjusted easily to URI; I was not ever uncomfortable in situations where I did not know who everyone was.
Also, at Southern I played tennis and lacrosse for two years each. Competing on teams is not something that I am not particularly good at, nor do I enjoy it very much. I joined both teams because it was just another way to spend time with my friends. My friends and I used to drive our coach crazy because we would goof off way too much during practices. When I look back on practices and games, what I remember most vividly is the way we used to laugh together about nothing in particular. It makes high school seem like it took place a lifetime ago, and makes me miss how simple life was back then. I don’t remember a time in the past 3 years of college where I would be having fun with my friends without someone saying something like, “I should really be studying” or “I am so stressed out about my class.” In high school, we would have so much fun being silly and spending time together without stressing ourselves out about trivial things.
My senior year of high school, I had the privilege of having Mr. Murphy for English class. Mr. Murphy was known as a very strict, demanding teacher, but also as one of the best at Southern. Even though he gave out more work than other teachers, students loved having him, which is usually not the case in high school English classes. He demanded respect from his students, but was very open to their input in his class. He would ask for input on which assignments we gained the most from and which books we liked the best. Mr. Murphy took his class very seriously and expected all of our assignments and reading to be done on time. I can honestly say that this was the only class in high school that came close to preparing me for college. I think about him when I am struggling in classes at college because I know that he would tell me to keep going and not doubt myself.
All in all, high school was a great experience for me. It seems like yesterday I was sending out my application to URI. It’s crazy to me that in the next month I’m going to send out another application to URI – for graduate school! Spending time with my friends and the great teachers I had is what made my time at Southern most memorable. Reflecting on my high school experience is making me want to take advantage and really appreciate my last year at URI.